Cognitive psychologist Lera Boroditsky has reported that aboriginal children from Cape York, Australia, can accurately point to any compass direction as early as age five. In contrast, most Americans cannot do this even as adults. Boroditsky believes this is due to the
A)aboriginal children of Cape York developing a more refined kinesthetic imagery than the children in America.
B)aboriginal children of Cape York using more synesthesia in their everyday problem solving as compared to American children.
C)tendency of the aboriginal children from Cape York to use heuristics in problem solving, while the American children tend to use algorithms for problem solving.
D)exclusive use of absolute directional references in the language spoken by the aboriginals of Cape York as opposed to the use of relative directional references by Americans.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The correct answer is D because Lera Boroditsky's research highlights how language shapes thought, specifically pointing out that the language spoken by the aboriginals of Cape York incorporates absolute directional references (e.g., north, south, east, west) rather than relative directions (e.g., left, right) used commonly in English. This linguistic difference encourages the development of an acute sense of direction from a very young age among the aboriginal children.

Cognitive Psychologist Lera Boroditsky Has Reported That Aboriginal Children from Cape